There is concern about two more sections of the Potomac Interceptor, the pipe that experienced a massive leak in January that sent millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
Two other sections of the pipe near the failure are rated the same or worse than the section that ruptured, according to the most recent assessment of the pipe done in 2024.
D.C. Water CEO David Gadis testified Monday before the D.C. Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment. He detailed the findings of that report, which officials had previously been unable to answer questions about.
The collapsed section was rated a three on a one-five point scale, with five being the worst. The two areas of concern are in the same 1,800-foot section of pipe where the break occurred.
D.C. Council member Zachary Parker pressed Gadis during Monday’s hearing about what D.C. Water was doing to repair those other areas of pipe.
Gadis said a more long-term fix called “slip lining” would take place later this year, during the fall, at the latest.
“And until then we could see two additional areas of the pipe collapse potentially?” Parker asked.
Gadis tried to ease those concerns, saying the flagged areas of pipe are not at emergency level and that even the collapsed portion of pipe was not at the risk level for imminent failure.
“Respectfully, we didn’t anticipate this collapse,” Parker responded. “So we can’t predict it, but you’re saying, based on your assessment, there are other areas of the pipe that are vulnerable. And I guess my natural reaction is, how do we act more urgently to get to those areas of the pipe, to shore them up, than waiting another six months?”
Gadis said in the meantime, before the slip lining is done, crews would apply geopolymer to the problem areas to increase their strength. Slip lining involves removing a portion off the top of the existing pipe and inserting new pipe inside.
Gadis also said during the hearing the entire 54-mile section of pipe from Dulles International Airport to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant gets inspected on a consistent basis. The section of pipe that failed was scheduled to be replaced this summer, according to Gadis.
WTOP’s Thomas Robertson contributed to this report.
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